Rare Global Founder Ashley Villa Launches Incubator for Mid-Tier Influencers

Lawyer turned entrepreneur Ashley Villa strives to empower women through content creation. Ashley is the founder of RARE, a female-owned, female-run management agency that manages some of the biggest female names on YouTube under the fashion, beauty and lifestyle category. They deliver next-level 360 management, world-class expertise, and competitive strategy to take clients from online personas to powerhouse brands. Founded in 2015, RARE stands for Rise And Rule Everyday, because every person at RARE does exactly that.

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Señorita! Thanks for having us @foray and @tintoamorio 💃🏻

A post shared by Ashley Rachel Villa, Esq. 🐯 (@ashleyrachel) on Sep 29, 2019 at 3:01pm PDT

RARE recently launched a new project called RARE Incubator. They are looking to work with creators who have the engagement and power of influence but may need a little help reaching their full potential. What they look for is a mid-tier (between 200,000 and 800,000 followers) content creator who is female or identifies as female, has a solid work ethic, has similar goals and aspirations, and vibe well with the team.

Before Rare Global, Ashley knew she wanted to do law in the entertainment industry. She worked at Sierra/Affinity LLC, an international feature film sales company. However, she soon realized that the social media industry would also allow her to use her law skills in a more enjoyable way. She can help her clients work with everyday brands that she herself uses.

The key difference for creating contracts for traditional film vs. digital media is the turnover speed of which the contracts must be completed and the product delivered. In traditional film, there is a bit more time for a contract to be completed. In digital media, a contract must be completed within one or two days so that the content creator can get started. Most traditional film also has a full crew to assist with the filming. For the most part, content creators need to do everything from pre-production, filming, and post-production themselves or with a small crew. A digital media contract is also extremely specific. For example, the number of tweets, what time Instagram stories will be posted, who would be mentioned in the posts.

But the legal stuff comes easy for Ashley compared to the logistics of running a business. Ashley went to school for law. What she did not learn in school was all the human resource aspects of running a business: payroll, 401K, health care, taxes, bookkeeping, sick days. “You can’t let anything fly. You have to understand all elements of your business.” Those are all the things she had to learn as she went. 

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💭✨Thinking back on our inaugural #RARE WOMEN Luncheon, where the looks were as beautiful as the energy of all the incredible women who attended. @soothingsista @theberarefoundation #WCW #riseandruleeveryday

A post shared by RARE (@rareglobal) on Oct 23, 2019 at 9:00am PDT

Ashley’s sister, Stephanie Villa (aka SoothingSista), played a big part in the inception of RARE. Not only is she Ashley’s biggest supporter, but she also came up with the name RARE and unknowingly introduced Ashley to her first client.

When YouTube was still a hobby for many, Jenn Im was making a name for herself. She was getting paid work and needed a digital media attorney. However, that wasn’t really a big thing back then. So, Ashley came to the rescue. With her law background and experience working in the film industry, she was able to interpret and build contracts for digital media influencers. Little did she know, her hard work will soon turn her into a business owner, manager, and entrepreneur.

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🥂Cheers to the #weekend @imjennim ❤️ #TGIF

A post shared by RARE (@rareglobal) on Nov 1, 2019 at 3:55pm PDT

The most challenging part? Finding her confidence starting out and maintaining it moving forward. 

“Confidence comes from experience and from the knowledge that you gain.”

When Ashley started RARE, she did not have too much knowledge of the digital media industry. The industry itself was still starting out. But with every day that goes by, every contract negotiated, every new client, Ashley gained the knowledge and experience to back up her work. 

“You have to push through and know that you are doing your best and you have the capacity to continue to succeed. Maintain your own self-worth. If you aren’t feeling confident in your work, know that since you’re trying your best, and you have the knowledge to back it up, when the time comes for you to put in the work, that confidence will come.”

Ashley ran the whole show by herself for the first year. As work started picking up and more clients started coming in, she realized she needed to build a team. Her team currently consists of seven powerful females. They are not only coworkers but genuine friends outside of the office as well. The most rewarding part? Teaching and mentoring each other and seeing each person grow alongside RARE. 

“It’s one thing to just help people by connecting people and meeting and teaching. The whole other thing and most importantly, people need money. We’re going to raise money for young female entrepreneurs. So not only create a community of women who support each other but also back it up with the actual cash.”

When Ashley started working as an attorney, she was fortunate to have a mentor, Virginia Longmuir. Virginia was the first woman to teach Ashley contracts and took the time to provide solid feedback. But it’s not always that easy to find a female mentor. Growing up, Ashley and her best friend, Vannga, did not have many females to look up to for help and support, especially Asian females. This is why they created The Be Rare Foundation. They want to “empower the next generation of female entrepreneurs and creatives who share in [their] purpose of moving females forward.”

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This year’s @arareday was everything we could have imagined thanks to all the amazing people, brands, and hard work that went into making the day as magical possible!!!🙌 We can’t even begin to tell you how inspired we left feeling and we’ll be sharing more footage from our event throughout the week, so stay tuned.💎💎💎 . . . . #TheBeRareFoundation #ARareDay #WomenSupportingWomen #CreatingTheFuture

A post shared by BE RARE (@theberarefoundation) on Mar 11, 2019 at 8:45am PDT

Every year, The Be Rare Foundation offers a female-forward grant to one hard-working woman or group of women entrepreneurs. This includes anyone who identifies as female. The winners selected are women with creative ideas, a strong business plan, and a clear direction. They have all it takes to be successful except the financial means. Ashley and Vannga understand the struggle of that and want to help.

So, if you are a digital creator or entrepreneur, there may be something here for you to explore. Whether it’s learning from Ashley, pitching for The Be Rare Foundation grant, or checking out the RARE Incubator, the opportunity for growth is very much there. The next move is up to you.